Mychal Rivera Rookie Spotlight
Byron Lambert, Rosterwatch.com

Photoshop by Tony Gonzalez (Raiders.com) via Mychal Rivera Twitter

Height: 6’3″
Weight: 242 Pounds
40-Time: 4.81
Drafted: Round 6 (Oakland Raiders)

Scouting Report:

Mychal Rivera is a difficult prospect to reconcile. On tape, he’s a fairly athletic pass-catching tight end. One that can be productive in spots. He has an athletic NFL build. Yet, Rivera was completely pedestrian in all tests of athleticism at the NFL Combine and was completely invisible during our week in Mobile for the Senior Bowl. His college statistics were modest, as well.

Rivera did play with two NFL receivers and an NFL quarterback at Tennessee (all of which are fellow 2013 rookies.) In the SEC, he played against the best defensive competition in the country. You can look at that and say- he should have been more productive with the those weapons around him – or you can say this is the type of talent he will be surrounded with in the NFL, and he’s as prepared as possible for NFL defenses.

What you see on tape is a player that is adept at finding and settling down in the soft spots in zones on short and intermediate routes. Rivera displays reliable hands. He’s not great at creating separation against defensive backs- in the NFL he will have to master positioning and body control to be successful. On occasion, Rivera displays some run after the catch- Tennessee also occasionally split him out wide where he made some nice plays down the sideline.

Rivera was often running wide open at Tennessee, something he should expect to change in the NFL. While he does not have the body-type to be a top tier blocker, Rivera will have to find a way to be more physical at the next level. All in all, the Raiders got nice value on a player we believe can contribute to the passing offense relatively early in his career.

Fantasy Analysis:

We like the pick up by Oakland, but we hate the circumstances- for this season. Matt Flynn is an unknown commodity. It’s hard to love anyone in Oakland this year. Behind McFadden, Reece, Denarius Moore, and a slew of other young receivers – Rivera is way down the list of mouths to feed. That said, we don’t believe the competition at tight end is that stout. Rivera will battle with a whole group of relative unknowns for snaps. Hopefully, it turns in to a tuneup for future seasons, as we believe he can be a pass catching contributor to the offense. Rivera is absolutely hands-off in standard fantasy drafts this year. He is a possible late-round flier in Dynasty and Keeper formats. More likely, he is an intriguing developmental player to keep an eye on over the next few seasons.